環(huán)球英語 — 388：Ben Carson
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Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Adam Navis.
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And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Doctor Ben Carson is one of the best brain doctors in the world. He is the head of brain surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. People come there from all around the world to receive treatment. Ben Carson also writes books. He travels around the world speaking to doctors and to school children. He is a caring and skilled professional. But his life could have been very different.
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Today’s Spotlight looks at the life and work of Doctor Ben Carson. We will see how even if someone’s life starts in one place it can end in another.
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Ben Carson was born in 1951. When he was eight years old, his father left. Ben’s mother, Sonya, became a single parent, with two young boys. They did not have much money. His mother worked three jobs to provide for them.
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During this time Ben began to fall behind in school. When he was eleven years old, he was at the very bottom of his class. Other students called him stupid. And he agreed with them. Ben did not have a good self image. He did not believe he was intelligent or ever would be.
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Like many good things, change came because of a mother. Sonya Carson found out her son Ben had dropped to last place in school. She decided her boys were watching too much television. So she limited the amount they watched. She made them do their extra homework from school. But she also made Ben and his brother read two other books each week. She then made them write a report on each book.
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Years later, Ben learned that his mother could not read these reports. In fact, Sonya Carson could not read at all. But she knew that education was important. She knew that it would be the way out of poverty for her boys.
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With his mother’s help and his own effort, Ben slowly moved to the head of the class. One day, he shocked his classmates. He answered the teacher’s questions. And he was correct! Soon, the same students who had insulted him were asking Ben for help.
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Now Ben was doing better in school, but he still struggled with his anger. Little things would make him so angry. One day, he and a friend were arguing over which radio station to listen to. His friend changed the station. Ben could not control himself. He took out a knife and attacked his friend.
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Ben’s friend was not hurt, but Ben was frightened. He entered the bathroom and locked the door. For the next several hours he read the Christian Bible. He looked for the knowledge and control he wanted. He knew that he needed this for the future. Finally, he left the room. He knew he would never again let another person’s words or acts control him. He would no longer be controlled by his anger.
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By the time he finished high school, Ben Carson was at the top of his class. With financial aid he began at Yale University. But Yale is a difficult school. He was once again at the bottom of his class.
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One night he was studying for a test. He needed to do well on the test to stay in school. He was tired and he did not know what to do. He turned to God and prayed about it. But he went to bed without any hope. He wanted to become a doctor, but he did not think it would ever happen. As he slept, he dreamt he was taking the test. He saw each problem. He awoke from sleep, and solved the problems from his dream. The next morning he went to class and opened his test. He saw the very problems that were in his dreams!
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He thanked God for this miracle. He passed the test. He promised God he would work hard to be a doctor. And he remembered that he learned better by reading than by listening. He changed his study patterns to spend more time reading.
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Ben did finish at Yale. He then went on to medical school. While there, he decided to become a brain doctor. He even developed something new - a method to find a hole in the human skull, the head bone.
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But Doctor Carson became best known for his attempts to separate conjoined twins. Conjoined twins are children born connected to one another. They share some body parts. Doctor Carson worked on twins joined at the head. Separating conjoined twins is rare and complex. Most doctors may see it once in their life-time. Doctor Carson has done it several times.
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Doctor Carson’s faith in God is an important part of his life and work as a brain doctor. Here is what he says about his faith.
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“I look into the human brain and am amazed by its complex nature. I think about how wise our God is. When I am looking into a baby’s head I sense God. I am hit by the miracle of life and the miracles possible within life. I have seen children die and children live. Whatever the result, I see God as the one who wants the best from us. God asks us to trust Him. In the end, I am just a brain doctor. I can not know everything. I believe that we need to know that God is in control.”
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Ben Carson’s life could have been very different. He could have stayed at the bottom of his class. He may have continued to believe he was stupid. But he used education as the key to his future. He says this,
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“Knowledge is the key that unlocks all the doors. You may have green skin with yellow dots and come from another planet. But if you have knowledge that people need, instead of beating you, they will beat a path to your door.”
